The NHL season is nearly over, and it’s time to hand out some hardware. Folks, welcome to the third annual Rankies! (Sorry, we forgot to do this last year; here are the 2023 and 2024 editions.)
In our participation trophy society, it’s unjust that only a select few teams are represented at the year-end NHL Awards. Our goal is to fix that by making sure every team wins at least one award this season, no matter how esoteric. If the NHL can give out points for losing, we can give out trophies for things like “most goalie points” or “best Zamboni.”
Let’s check out this year’s honorees.
1. Colorado Avalanche, 52-16-10
Last week: 1
Sean: 1
Dom: 1
Billy Beane Award: The team that did the best job at recreating an irreplaceable star
If you’ve seen or read “Moneyball,” you’ll note Mikko Rantanen is playing the role of Jason Giambi. It works for a few reasons — we’re not going to deny that Rantanen has a certain X-factor most players, Martin Necas included, can’t quite match.
We’ll also gently point out that this season, Necas is producing 3.6 points per 60; Rantanen, in his NHL career, has bested that once. Necas is scoring 1.4 goals per 60 and posting an expected goal share of 62 percent; Rantanen has bested each of those twice. The Presidents’ Trophy winners, in other words, wouldn’t have lost much (if anything) had the swap been one-for-one … and it was not. Jack Drury was added to the mix, too, and he’s given them valuable bottom-six minutes.
2. Carolina Hurricanes, 51-22-6
Last week: 2
Sean: 2
Dom: 2
Jim Corsi Cup: Winners of the Corsi Hockey League
The 1970s Canadiens. The 1980s Islanders. The 1980s Oilers. Stanley Cup dynasties. It’s been decades since we’ve borne witness to consistent year-over-year dominance like that of those powerhouse teams. But at long last, the drought is over; the NHL has a new dynasty — the 2020s Hurricanes, who are hoisting the Jim Corsi Cup for a fourth straight season. An incredible feat. No one takes shots at the net and defends them like these guys.
3. Dallas Stars, 47-20-12
Last week: 4
Sean: 4
Dom: 3
Mike Modano Award: Best American-born forward
You would think this award would go to one of the 14 forwards who won Olympic gold in February for the United States. You would be wrong.
No American forward has scored more points than Jason Robertson’s 91. He also has the type of well-rounded game that makes him the most valuable, with a plus-16.7 Net Rating. That the next-best contender, Cole Caufield, also didn’t make the team is pretty funny and speaks to the sheer depth of talent the USA now has at its disposal.
4. Montreal Canadiens, 47-22-10
Last week: 5
Sean: 3
Dom: 4
Kris Russell Trophy: Most blocked shots
We thought about presenting the Jack Hughes Trophy, awarded to the player with the biggest glow-up, to one of the Canadiens, but singling someone out between Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovský seemed unfair. We love them all so very much!
So, we’re honoring Noah Dobson, who started Thursday’s game with a league-leading 186 blocked shots while also posting the second-best Net Rating among Montreal’s defensemen. That’s living up to the price tag. Now, did he manage to score 50 goals? He did not, so this might’ve been a mistake, but you can read plenty about that elsewhere.
5. Buffalo Sabres, 49-23-8
Last week: 6
Sean: 5
Dom: 5
Mark Messier Leadership Award: Greatest leader
Most of these awards are fake. This one sounds fake, but somehow is not, so we wanted to get a head start on the campaign trail. If Rasmus Dahlin doesn’t win this year’s Mark Messier Leadership Award, there will be riots at Rankings HQ. We mean that: What’s the point of a leadership award if Dahlin isn’t recognized for what he’s done for the Sabres this season?
Since returning from Sweden in mid-November, Dahlin has been one of the league’s absolute best defensemen and has carried a once-cursed franchise back to the postseason after 14 long years. To do what was once unthinkable in the fashion the Sabres did this season starts with Dahlin, a leader who wears his heart on his sleeve every night and competes over every inch of the ice.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning, 48-25-6
Last week: 3
Sean: 6
Dom: 7
Jonathan Marchessault Trophy: Best out-of-nowhere season
In our Lightning season preview, we wrote that Darren Raddysh “adds some offensive pop in a sheltered role.” And, uh, that was it. We weren’t wrong! Guys like that have value! Raddysh was fine in 2024-25, helping drive play and producing as many points per 60 (1.76) as guys such as Quinn Hughes and Roman Josi, albeit on a second pair. This season, though, the 30-year-old has gone nuclear, upping his production to 2.55 points per 60 and doing it in first-pair minutes. Big congrats to him on the timing, too — he’s set to lead an incredibly weak free-agency class.
7. Minnesota Wild, 45-22-12
Last week: 7
Sean: 7
Dom: 6
Dean Lombardi Trophy: Best trade
The Minnesota Wild would’ve been OK had they not traded for Quinn Hughes. Record-wise — 17-9-5 on Dec. 12 — they’d actually been better. Because of what Hughes has done to their offense, though, they’re a legitimate contender. Without him, they were 31st in the league in goals per 60. A little less tangibly, a team with Quinn Hughes on it is fun to watch, and that counts for plenty.
8. Pittsburgh Penguins, 41-22-16
Last week: 9
Sean: 8
Dom: 8
Gerard Gallant Award: Most surprising playoff team, in honor of the 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights
When did you accept the 2025-26 Penguins into your heart? Was it in mid-December, when they bounced back from eight consecutive losses? Was it post-Olympics, when they stayed in playoff position without Sidney Crosby? Was it on Thursday, when they clinched a spot? Was it when you realized they’ve scored more goals than any team that doesn’t play in Denver? It certainly wasn’t when they started the season with a 74-point projection, which they’re going to outshoot by 30 or thereabouts. Don’t lie.
9. Ottawa Senators, 42-27-10
Last week: 10
Sean: 9
Dom: 9
Carter Verhaeghe Trophy: Sweetest found money
Remember when the Kings lost to the Oilers in the first round again and Jordan Spence averaged just 7 1/2 minutes per game? Remember when the Kings promptly traded Spence for third- and sixth-round picks? We do, and we (along with every hockey nerd on the planet) will never shut up about what an obvious win that was for the Senators.
That became even more evident over the past couple of weeks. With Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot out, Spence stepped up into a top-pair role, scoring four points in five games while playing 26 minutes per night — and he didn’t look at all out of place.
Is Spence a true top-pair defenseman? Probably not. But he at least looks like a legit top-four option, and that’s a nice find for the Sens at the price they paid.
10. Boston Bruins, 43-26-10
Last week: 8
Sean: 11
Dom: 11
Daniel Sedin Bullseye Award: Best finisher
Back in 2011, Daniel Sedin went 4-for-4 in the accuracy shooting contest at the NHL All-Stars Skills Competition, doing so in a blistering 7.3 seconds. That record stands to this day, but we bet that if we put Pavel Zacha in the ring, he could somehow go 4-for-3 and do it even faster. Zacha has arguably been the league’s sharpest shooter this season, scoring on 23 percent of his shots, earning 30 goals on 128 shots.
11. Utah Mammoth, 42-30-6
Last week: 16
Sean: 10
Dom: 12
World Ice-resurfacing Car of the Year: Best Zamboni
This one wasn’t even close. Look at this thing! And now it’s headed to the playoffs!
12. Edmonton Oilers, 40-29-10
Last week: 12
Sean: 12
Dom: 10
Piston Cup: Fastest player alive
We considered an Art Ross for defensemen, but decided instead to reward Connor McDavid’s ridiculous dominance in player speed. This year, McDavid has had a speed burst over 22 miles per hour 145 times, nearly 100 more than the next highest player, Owen Tippett. The fact he’s doing that while also being the player who has skated the most miles this season makes it all the more impressive. McDavid is the league’s speed and distance champion. Kachow.
13. Philadelphia Flyers, 40-27-12
Last week: 18
Sean: 13
Dom: 14
The Golden Hamburger: Most improbable hot streak leading to the playoffs
Coming out of the Olympic break with an immediate loss, the Flyers had just a 7.7 percent chance of making the playoffs thanks to a 25-21-11 record that had them eight points out of a playoff spot. Since that point, the Flyers have just kept winning with a 14-6-1 record that now has them third in the Metro Division. It’s no guarantee yet, especially after a loss to the Red Wings on Thursday, but the Flyers are in the driver’s seat.
14. Vegas Golden Knights, 36-27-16
Last week: 17
Sean: 15
Dom: 13
Kerry Fraser’s Golden Whistle: Team with fewest penalties
Congrats to the gentlemanly Golden Knights, who came in Thursday averaging less than three minor penalties served per game. Overall, their top nine skaters, based on average ice time, have served either 24 minutes or less.
15. Anaheim Ducks, 42-32-5
Last week: 11
Sean: 14
Dom: 15
Gordon Bombay Scholarship: Most fun hockey team
Nothing pairs with bedtime for the Eastern Time Zone Media quite like a ton of goals, and the Ducks deliver — on both sides of the puck. They’re second in combined goals for and against, first in combined expected goals for and against. That’s action, baby. Let’s keep that going during the postseason.
16. Detroit Red Wings, 41-29-9
Last week: 13
Sean: 16
Dom: 18
Rod Langway Award: Best defensive defenseman
He’s receded a bit since Dom sang his praises in early March, but we’re still going to hand a plaque to Moritz Seider. The Red Wings have allowed just 2.37 expected goals against per 60 with him on the ice this season — a genuinely incredible feat, given the overall context. Seider plays some of the toughest minutes in the league without a fitting partner, and he wins them decisively. That’s worth celebrating, even though the Red Wings … y’know.
17. New York Islanders, 43-31-5
Last week: 14
Sean: 17
Dom: 16
Patrick Roy Award: Player most likely to change his position
We discussed Matthew Schaefer’s unicorn status at length last week; how he has zero comparables at his age and how special his all-world ability already is. There’s always warranted caution around the “generational” tag, but when an 18-year-old’s only comp in value is Connor McDavid, that tag is probably apt.
Schaefer feels like a complete game-changer at his position. The way he roams the ice, using his speed to create trouble and get out of it, is a decade-long culmination of what it means to be a defenseman at the highest level. His ability to draw penalties and drive pressure in the offensive zone feels unique to him, an evolution of Erik Karlsson and Cale Makar before him. Schaefer is far from a finished product, but he already looks like someone who is going to change the sport as we know it.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets, 39-28-12
Last week: 15
Sean: 18
Dom: 17
Bob Probert Trophy: Most talented enforcer
There’s always going to be some place in the game for a player like Mathieu Olivier. He fights — nine times this season, in fact — while managing to positively impact the rest of the game. Among Columbus’ forwards, only Charlie Coyle has a higher Defensive Rating. Tough loss for the Jackets on Thursday, though.
19. Washington Capitals, 40-30-9
Last week: 20
Sean: 19
Dom: 19
Pierre LeBrun Big Boy Hockey Award: Forward line with the largest men
Until this week, there had been zero lines in the league in which all three guys are 6 feet 4 or taller and 225 pounds or heavier. Now there’s one: Washington’s big boy line featuring Tom Wilson (6-4, 225), Aliaksei Protas (6-6, 250) and brother Ilya Protas (6-6, 225). As our friend would say, “Holy mama!”
20. Los Angeles Kings, 33-26-19
Last week: 23
Sean: 20
Dom: 20
Gary Bettman Award: Most loser points
In a winner-take-all league, the Kings would’ve started Thursday with 64 points — 10 behind Nashville and 18 behind Anaheim, the two teams they’re trying to chase down in the playoff race. In the actual NHL, they are one point ahead of Nashville and four behind Anaheim. If they pull this off, they should politely decline.
21. Winnipeg Jets, 35-31-12
Last week: 24
Sean: 22
Dom: 21
The Core Four Award: Most top-heavy team
Mark Scheifele has 99 points this year. Kyle Connor has 89. Gabe Vilardi has 64. Those are really strong seasons from Winnipeg’s top three forwards. Here’s a trivia question: How many points does Winnipeg’s fourth-highest scoring forward have? It’s 32 by Cole Perfetti — and he’s the only other one over 30. Woof!
22. Nashville Predators, 37-32-10
Last week: 21
Sean: 21
Dom: 23
Roberto Luongo Award: Most shots against
This one is named after the guy who faced more than 2,400 shots twice in his career and is second all-time behind Martin Brodeur despite playing 222 fewer games. Juuse Saros isn’t quite as good as Luongo — no harm there — but he’s on track to break 2,000 and lead the league for the third time in three seasons. Whoever takes over as Nashville’s general manager should look into that.
23. San Jose Sharks, 37-34-7
Last week: 23
Sean: 19
Dom: 22
The Other Jennings Trophy: Awarded to the player who most put the team on his back
The Hart Trophy shouldn’t necessarily go to the player with the greatest gap between himself and the rest of his team, but that’s part of what gives Macklin Celebrini such a compelling case. There are plenty of ways to quantify that, and we’ve hit on a bunch. Someday, the rest of the Sharks’ rebuild will bear fruit, but for now, the only way Celebrini could be more impressive — or more important — is if he did it all on a broken leg.
24. New Jersey Devils, 40-36-3
Last week: 22
Sean: 25
Dom: 24
Grant Fuhr Award: Most points by a goalie
Back in 1983-84, Fuhr had 14 points — six more than any other goalie in the modern era. That’s a record that should stand for a long time, but we’d still like to bestow an honor for the highest-scoring goalie. This season, that’s Jacob Markstrom with four points. If he can rack up one more, he would tie the career high he set in 2023-24, also the only time a goalie has scored five or more points in the last decade.
25. St. Louis Blues, 33-33-12
Last week: 26
Sean: 24
Dom: 25
John Gibson Award: Least valuable player (for the purposes of tanking)
As is tradition, few teams have been hotter than the Blues over the final months of the season. They have gone 13-5-3 since the Olympic break. This time, it’s probably too little too late to make the playoffs and all it’s really doing is lowering the teams’ lottery odds.
This award is actually a tie because the Blues have two players to thank for that: Robert Thomas and Joel Hofer. Thomas has an average Game Score of 2.26, which ranks fourth in the league during that stretch, thanks in part to outscoring teams by a 17-3 margin at five-on-five. At the other end of the ice, Hofer has saved a league-leading 16.2 goals above expected.
As a result of the all-world play from those two, St. Louis’ odds of picking in the top five have dropped from 65 percent all the way to 13 percent.
26. Florida Panthers, 37-38-4
Last week: 27
Sean: 26
Dom: 26
Doug Wilson Award: Best accidental tank, in honor of the 2018-19 Sharks
We saw Bill Zito’s conversation with Pierre, and it made sense. He’s not giving himself or his organization a free pass. That’s how well-run franchises operate. Still, when you’ve got two Cup rings, there are worse outcomes than a season spent getting healthy, saving some mileage and pocketing a found-money, top-10 pick.
27. Toronto Maple Leafs, 32-33-14
Last week: 28
Sean: 27
Dom: 27
Jack Johnson Award: Most goals against
Morgan Rielly has drawn a lot of ire, as his already-weak defensive game has collapsed. This year, no other defenseman has been on the ice for more goals against for one team (fun fact, Quinn Hughes leads the league with 77 between his two teams) at five-on-five than Rielly’s 75. That’s one goal against per game!
28. New York Rangers, 33-37-9
Last week: 29
Sean: 30
Dom: 28
Brian Burke Honorary Truck: Most truculent team
The Rangers have thrown more hits than any team in the league. That’s just because they’re big and strong, not because they never have the puck, we swear. (Just kidding, they’re 24th in shot-attempt share.)
31. Calgary Flames, 32-37-9
Last week: 30
Sean: 29
Dom: 29
Oliver Ekman-Larsson Award: Fewest points scored from a team’s leading scorer
Back in 2014-15, Ekman-Larsson led the Arizona Coyotes in points with a pitiful 43. The Flames may have that beat with Morgan Frost, Mikael Backlund and Matt Coronato currently tied for the team lead at just 41. Considering the difference in league-wide scoring (6.18 goals per game compared to 5.32 in 2014-15), the Flames are setting a new standard for a lack of high-end production.
30. Seattle Kraken, 33-34-11
Last week: 25
Sean: 30
Dom: 30
Terry Pegula Trophy: Most aimless franchise
Good on the Kraken for finally going in the tank and pushing their way up the lottery odds, and congrats on The Athletic’s No. 7 prospect pool, but truly, what is going on over there? Big picture, could you come up with five less relevant teams? Could you come up with one? This is Year 4! Not good!
31. Chicago Blackhawks, 28-37-14
Last week: 31
Sean: 31
Dom: 31
Dion Phaneuf Memorial: The player with the most difficult job in hockey
Pour one out for Alex Vlasic. Only Mike Matheson faces tougher offensive competition in his minutes. There’s a crucial difference to consider, too — the Canadiens are very good, and the Blackhawks are very, very not-good. Matheson gets help; Vlasic gets almost literally none. The fact that he’s carrying a Defensive Rating of 0.1, given what he has to deal with, is an accomplishment.
32. Vancouver Canucks, 22-48-8
Last week: 32
Sean: 32
Dom: 32
Guy Boucher Trophy: Team that took the largest step back, in honor of the 2017-18 Ottawa Senators
Walk into our time machine and travel back to September. The Canucks still had Quinn Hughes, a potential bounce-back from Elias Pettersson, and the hopeful return of a healthy Thatcher Demko. That was enough to put them in the playoff conversation to start the season, when oddsmakers pegged Vancouver as close to a 90-point team — right in line with where the team finished the year prior. Instead, the Canucks are on pace for just 55. Anyway you slice it, this season was an epic collapse and, like the 2017-18 Senators, it may be close to a decade until the Canucks sniff the postseason again.